I am fixated on podcasts, Isolating during the COVID-19 pandemic has provided opportunities for creative, talented people to strut their stuff. (Also for their counterparts, but I am focusing on the positive.) Tired of reading, TV, and net surfing, I explored podcasts, helpful for resting the eyes and a pleasant distraction when on the stationary bike or just relaxing. There are podcasts for EVERYTHING! Google “bizarre podcasts” just for fun.
Recently I listened to Get-Fit Guy Brock Armstrong interview Katy Bowman who promotes movement as nutrition. Katy impressed me because she advocates “exercise less and move more.” This particular podcast confirmed my PT experience: optimize my gait by correcting bad postural habits. If nothing else, I encourage you to listen to the podcast and follow the simple exercises presented and be astonished as you discover your weaknesses.
Walking is possibly my favorite exercise because I don’t think of it as exercise. A short walk around the block can be restorative when despondent or frustrated or closing a project or clearing my mind to begin a project. Testing my health, if I am still fatigued after a short walk, I know that I am truly tired or possibly coming down with an illness warranting a nap. When the children were small, late afternoons brought restlessness which settled with a walk before dinner.
We take walking for granted until we can’t, when it becomes precious. Prior to my joint problems, an easy three-mile hike in the mountains to admire the changing autumn leaves focused on the companionship and the natural beauty. This year, I marveled at my body which could not walk around the block three months previously.
I have a long way to go, but when starting at nothing, anything is savored. Friends encouraged me to try Walk at Home which was appreciated when the thermometer soared relentlessly above 110o and may be handy for those of you hunkered down indoors to escape the cold and snow. It can be accessed conveniently on YouTube or as an app and provides encouragement for routines from simple to demanding.
One caveat: Brittany introduced the one-mile walk with “You can’t do this wrong.” I have learned that you CAN do it wrong. So first, check your form, how you carry your weight. The aforementioned Katy Bowman points out that “there are millions of people without any extra weight experiencing the same [disabilities] and many with extra weight not experiencing it as well.” Using my newly gained but basic knowledge, I adapt even the walking to avoid further injury. After all, I am not 20, or 30, or 40, 50, or even 60. I have learned the hard way that, contrary to the adage “No pain, no gain,” pain might mean no gain or even loss.
Whatever, those of us of an age know that movement is key. Keep moving!
